Abu Gerida
The activities in the desert settlement Abu Gerida included both stone and metal working as shown by the many stone chippings found on the surface next to moulds for casting metal and these large heaps of slag:
 
This large cleared area with a low enclosure wall, which possibly served a military or religious function, is on the summit of a mountain just south of Abu Gerida. There are a stone quarry and some graves behind this feature, across the rather wide wadi:
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Objective of visit:
 
 To draw a measured plan of the site and study the surface remains (including the ceramic finds).
Date of visit:
   - August 1997
- June 1999
Fellow visitors:
   Prof.Dr. Steve Sidebotham (University of Delaware), Prof.Dr. Jim Harrell (University of Toledo), Dr. Abdel-Maqsoud (EGSMA) and Saleh Ali (our bedouin guide).
Results: A survey was performed using the Global Positioning System, a theodolite and steel tape measures. Off-site assistance was given by pottery expert Dr. Roberta Tomber (Museum of London). No excavations took place. A full publication of this site is pending.
Approximate position and date of the site:   Abu Gerida is in the central part of the Egyptian Eastern desert, between the Qena-Safaga and Quft-Quseir asphalt roads. Surface pottery dated to the Ptolemaic period (ca. 330 - 30 BC).
Short description of the site:   Abu Gerida was possibly some kind of centre for the gold mining operation where grinding stone and metal tools were manufactured. There are only a few remains of ancient buildings but a large amount of industrial debris. Profiles cut by the wadi suggest a prolonged period of occupation.
Additional remarks: Apart from the industrial debris, part of a relief or a statue was found as well as what may have been an inscription. Our work was sponsored by the University of Delaware, the University of Toledo and private donors.
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